Apart from useful “side effects”, such as financial benefits and factual benefits in the market, the process of certification points the way to meaningfully defined processes in organizations. This is the core from which the essential effect of certifications is fed. Of course, many certifications are not necessary, but if you have already gone the way to become certifiable, you can also acquire this “rating” and profit from the useful “side effects” and from the factual benefit in the market. Incidentally, preparation for certification is most burdensome for those organizations where systems and processes are not well developed. Above all, consider a development of your systems guided by proven standards as an opportunity for significant improvements in the way your organization works.
To understand the practical benefits of a process for certification, it is useful to take a closer look at the systematics associated with certifications.
All standards under which systems can be certified involve the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach, which goes back to W. Edwards Deming and provides for feedback. This feedback systematically integrates ongoing reviews and adjustments as well as improvements into the way the systems work, thereby ensuring their effectiveness.
With the help of systems designed to meet standards, your organization learns to define its processes, make them transparent, and “live” them, continually honing them to better identify opportunities and risks and deal with them appropriately. Your organization becomes more predictable and stable through good systems.